Journal of Restorative Medicine: Guidelines for Authors & Reviewers

About JRM

The Journal of Restorative Medicine (JRM) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine (AARM). JRM focuses principally on scientific research that contributes to the understanding of underlying mechanisms of chronic illness in order to further the integration of effective nutritional, botanical, and mind-body medicines into patient care. JRM was established in 2012 by Michael Friedman, ND. The journal's current Editor-in-Chief is Liz Sunderland, ND.

Types of Articles Considered

JRM covers scientific work that pertains to human endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, and immune system functioning. To that end, we welcome the following article types: original research; evidence-informed clinical investigations; systematic reviews; case reports; editorials; commentaries; state-of-the-art articles; and letters to the editor.

Submission Instructions

You can submit articles by email to the Editor-in-Chief or via an author request online.. Please view the Licensing Agreement. Unsolicited manuscripts will be acknowledged within 2-3 weeks of receipt of all documentation. Please direct questions about potential submissions to the managing editor at liz@restorativemedicine.org. There are no fees for submission.

Copyright and Permissions

This is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Competing Interests

It is the responsibility of all authors to disclose relevant financial and personal relationships, affiliations, and activities that might bias or be perceived to bias their work.  Authors must explicitly state whether potential competing interests do or do not exist. In this regard, authors are required to do two things:

    • Complete the Competing Interests and Other Disclosures Form
    • The corresponding author and all co-authors are required to complete this form, which is part of the author submission package. Please submit completed forms at the same time as your manuscript.
    • Include a section entitled Competing Interests in submitted manuscripts.
    • This section should appear at the end of the manuscript, before the Acknowledgments and Funding section. Use each author’s initials to refer to her/his competing interests. If an author has no competing interests, please give the author’s initials and state “ declares no competing interests.” If none of the authors have competing interests, please state “The authors declare they have no competing interests.” Failure to include this information in the manuscript may delay evaluation and review.

Protection of Research Participants

Experimental research that involves human subjects, human biological material, or human data must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki , and have been approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB)/ethics committee.  Authors must provide a statement in their manuscript with details of ethics approval and consent, including the name of the approving IRB/ethics committee. If a study has been granted exempt status, this must also be stated in the manuscript, along with the name of the IRB/ethics committee that granted exemption. Case reports must include a section entitled Consent for Publication (following Acknowledgments and Funding) that states “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor in Chief of this journal."

Identifying Information

Identifying information,  such as names, initials, or medical record numbers should not be published.

Plagiarism

JRM uses plagiarism detection software (iThenticate) and takes all research and publication misconduct seriously. If plagiarism is detected, COPE guidelines will be followed.

Using Previously Published Figures, Tables, and Other Images

Reprint permission must be obtained in writing from the original publisher, and provided at the time of manuscript submission for any images (such as graphs and charts), figures, and tables that are either not the author’s own creation or were created by the author but previously published elsewhere. The original article must also be cited in the submitted manuscript.

Text Recycling

Text recycling, or self-plagiarism, is when an author repeats sections of his/her text in more than one publication.  Authors should be transparent about any replication of text, and inform the JRM at the time of manuscript submission. The JRM will consider the acceptability of any instance of text duplication on a case-by-case basis.

Peer Review

Submissions the Editors believe are suitable for consideration will be sent for peer review by two independent experts. Editors will make their decisions based on the peer reviewers’ reports, and both the reports and the editorial decision will be sent to the corresponding author. The final decision on manuscript publication resides with the Editor-in-Chief.

Statistical Methods

Authors of primary research articles must include full information on the statistical methodology and measures used in their research, along with an explanation of the appropriateness of the statistical methods. The editors may send a manuscript for additional statistical review by a specialist if deemed necessary.

Authorship

Manuscripts with multiple authors should include a section entitled Authors’ Contributions. This section should appear between Competing Interests and Acknowledgments and Funding. All designated authors must meet each of the following four criteria for authorship, as established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE):

  1. Substantial contributions to conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
  2. Drafting of the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  3. Final approval of the version to be published
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved

In the Authors’ Contributions section, please use initials to refer to each author and describe her or his role.  At the end, include the statement  “All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”

Role of the Corresponding Author

A single author should be designated on behalf of all coauthors to be the primary correspondent with the JRM during the submission and review process. The corresponding author is also responsible for ensuring that the Competing Interests and Acknowledgments and Funding sections are accurate.

Acknowledgments and Funding

All sources of financial and material support and the role of the funding body should be declared for the research and work reported. If not applicable, please state “Not applicable.” Please also acknowledge by name anyone who contributed toward this work, for example, with writing or technical assistance, but who does not meet the criteria of authorship.

Manuscript Submissions

Submission of a paper implies that it reports unpublished work, except in abstract form, and is not being submitted simultaneously to another publication. Requirements for publication are consistent with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, published in: Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals

Authors will be required to sign a copyright agreement as part of the author submission forms. The copyright agreement grants JRM an exclusive license to publish the article in print and online; to use it in any educational format; and to administer rights and follow up on any infringements of copyright. Please complete and return the author submission forms at the same time you submit your manuscript.

Manuscripts will be considered in the form of:

  • Original research
  • Systematic Reviews
  • Clinical Investigations: Presenting results of original clinical research
  • Case Reports: Describing a single case or a small series. They must be educational and draw attention to important or unusual clinical situations, new treatments, or complications. Please see guidelines for writing case reports.
  • Brief Research Reports: Brief reports of promising or new research (up to 1500 words).
  • Reviews: Comprehensive surveys covering a broad area that consolidate old ideas or suggest new ones. They must provide a critique of the literature. Please see these tips on writing a review article HERE.
  • Special articles/Thought Pieces: On subjects not easily classifiable (e.g., history, education, culture, demography, ethics, socioeconomics, etc.) discussed in relation to an understanding of restorative/integrative medicine.
  • State-of-the-Art Articles: Providing an update on the latest developments in a particular area related to restorative medicine (6–12 pages in length)
  • Commentary: Invited as a companion to a full article presenting an alternative or a complementary perspective
  • Editorials: Invited opinion or perspective on specific content of the JRM or of relevance to the field of restorative/integrative medicine
  • Letters to the Editor: These may offer criticism or commentary of published material, but must be objective, constructive, and educational. A few references, a small table, or relevant illustrations may be used.

Supplementary Materials: JRM will accept appropriate video clips or other materials to be posted online as part of an article. Each clip should be less than 10MB, preferably less than 5MB. Format and content of all supplementary materials are the responsibility of the author(s). The editorial office and the publisher will not make any revisions to the material. Materials should be submitted at the same time as the article and will be peer-reviewed.

Details of Style: Follow guidelines set by the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors, Tenth Edition.

Manuscript format: Make sure the file is double-spaced throughout, including title page, abstract, text, references, legends for illustrations, and tables. Start each section on a new page, numbered consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the title page. Do not use hard returns at the end of lines of text. Ragged right margins are preferable to justified lines. All textual elements should begin flush left with no paragraph indents and two returns after every element, such as titles, headings, paragraphs, legends, etc. Please be sure to keep a backup copy of the file for reference, as accepted manuscripts are not returned.

Title Page: The first text page should contain: 1. Title; 2. Full names and affiliations for all authors, including the highest academic degree; 3. Full postal address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address for the corresponding author, to whom the proofs will be sent; 4. Running title of no more than six words. The title should clearly define the paper’s purpose and ideally be no longer than 15 words (excluding articles, prepositions, and conjunctions).

Abstracts: The abstract, on the page following the title page, must be no more than 300 words, under the following headings, as appropriate: Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions (JAMA 1992;267:42-44). Abstracts are necessary for all papers. Up to six key words must be provided with the abstract.

Text: Organize the body of text as follows: Introduction, Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; Competing Interests; Authors’ Contributions; Acknowledgments and Funding; Consent for Publication (for case reports); References. For articles that are not reporting original research, the author may vary certain sections where appropriate

Botanical names: Use the Linnaean classification system for first appearance in the text; thereafter consistently use either the common name or Latin name.

Drug names: Use generic names only in referring to drugs. If the trade name is necessary, e.g., in bio-availability studies, indicate it in parentheses.

Abbreviations: Keep abbreviations to the minimum and define each at its first use.

References: Indicate references within text using superscripted Arabic numerals without parentheses. A full list of references should be provided at the end of the article, in numerical order with a period following each number, no parentheses, sequentially as they appear in the text. Do not alphabetize. Abbreviate journal names according to the style of Index Medicus. Provide names and initials of all authors up to four authors, or three authors and et. al. The authors’ names are followed by the full title of the article; the abbreviated title of the journal; the year of publication; the volume number; and the first and last page numbers. Accuracy of reference data is the responsibility of the author. Please Note: Authors are strongly discouraged from using the MS Word feature Endnotes to generate references in their submitted manuscript. Any authors who use Endnotes must remove this feature from their manuscript before the first revision. For website references, include month, date, and year accessed.Please submit the following as separate documents.

Tables: All tables should be double-spaced. Title all tables, and number them in order of their citation in the text. Any notes (such as acknowledgment of reprint permission), should appear at the bottom of the table.

Figures/Illustrations: A legend should be provided for each figure or illustration. Photomicrographs should state the original magnification. Legends should provide sufficient information to allow the reader comprehension without reference to the text, and should be grouped at the end of the manuscript. Illustrations should be referred to in the text as “Figs” and be given Arabic numbers. Lines should be of sufficient thickness to stand reduction (no less than 4mm wide for a 50% reduction), and letters should be a minimum of 9pt Arial or an equivalent size.

Electronic Artwork: Vector graphics (eg., line artwork) should be saved as PDFs Bitmap files (eg. photographs) should be saved in JPEG or Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). Line art must be scanned at a minimum of 800 dpi; photographs at a minimum of 300 dpi.

Page Proofs: The corresponding author will receive an e-mail alert when proofs are available. A working e-mail address must therefore be provided for the corresponding author. In addition, please provide a second email address for yourself or a co-author, in case we have trouble reaching you at the first email address. Further instructions will be sent with the proof.

JRM Policy on Page Proof Review

Manuscripts are copyedited by a professional copyeditor hired by the publisher. The editor will not check the typeset proofs of accepted manuscripts for errors, thus it is the responsibility of the primary author of each paper to review page proofs carefully for accuracy of citations, formulas, etc., and to check for omissions in the text. It is imperative that the author do a prompt, thorough job of reviewing page proofs. Page proofs must be returned to the publisher within 48 hours of receipt. Please be aware, only minor revisions for the sake of accuracy, not extensive rewrites, will be accepted at this stage of the publication process.

Manuscript Checklist:

  1. Put references in proper format in numerical order, making sure each is cited in the text.
  2. Provide an abstract (300 words or less) with appropriate headings, and 3–6 keywords.
  3. Include copies of informed consent forms for any content and images that might lead to patient/subject identification. See the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals .
  4. Include proof of written permission for previously published illustrations and tables.
  5. Designate a corresponding author and provide an address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address.
  6. Submit tables, figures, and all artwork in separate files.
  7. Complete and return author submission forms

Journal of Restorative Medicine: Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

In accordance with COPE guidelines  reviewers are required to treat any manuscripts they are asked to review as confidential. This means not sharing the manuscript itself, the review, or information about the review with anyone without the express permission of the JRM editor in chief.

Please make comments directly in the manuscript using the Microsoft Word “track changes” feature. Your review will be anonymized before being passed to the author. Please write a report (at the top of the manuscript, in an email, or in a separate document) that summarizes your review. This report should include any comments for the editor’s eyes only (under the heading Confidential to the Editor), and your specific and general comments to the author (under the heading Comments to the Author). Organize comments in your summary report in the same order as the manuscript’s sections, specifying page, paragraph, and line where possible. Where necessary, please provide examples to clarify your comments.

Reviews are due within 10 business days from the date you receive a manuscript. Please make arrangements in advance if these terms are not possible.

You may be asked to give a second review on papers that required significant changes.

Please be constructive in any feedback you give to authors, and use the following guidelines as a framework for your review. (In addition, you may want to explore http://www.equator-network.org/ for a wide variety of tools that can be helpful in the assessment of manuscripts.)

For All Articles

  • Is this article novel/important? For example, will it help practitioners make better decisions for their patients? Does it expand or deepen the field of restorative/integrative medicine? Could it contribute to health policy?
  • Does it fit within the scope and mission of the Journal?
  • Does it add to existing knowledge?
  • Does it have a clear and coherent message?
  • Is it well presented? Does it make sense?
  • Other strengths/weaknesses?

For Original Research and Scientific Articles

  • Originality:
    • Does the article contain new material or make a worthwhile addition to the published literature?
  • Scientific Reliability:
    • Clearly defined research question that is appropriately answered?
    • Study design appropriate to address the research question?
    • Study participants are fully described including inclusion/exclusion criteria? Participants are representative of patients in the “real” world?
    • Methods and main outcome measures are clear and appropriate?
    • Results are credible and answer the research question being asked?
    • Conclusion is appropriate to the data collected? Mention of future directions?
    • Discussion is clear and in the context of previous studies where possible?
    • References are relevant and up to date? Any egregious omissions?
    • Abstract/Summary accurately reflects the content of the paper
    • For Review Articles:
      Is this review balanced and impartial (avoids selecting only those papers that support the author’s own view point)?
      • Does it address:
      o Major achievements in the relevant field?
      o Main areas of debate?
      o Future research directions?

Overall Rating and Recommendation

Based on your review, please indicate your recommendation for the article by choosing one of the following:

  1. Acceptable for publication as is or with minor changes
  2. Provisional acceptance (conditional on making satisfactory revisions)
  3. Needs major revisions (cannot make a definitive decision at this point)
  4. Unacceptable/Reject

Issues

More Info

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